 It was premiered at the Stadttheater, Leipzig on 10 February 1927 and was quickly adopted by opera houses across Germany, where it was performed 421 times on various stages during its first season alone.It provided Krenek with the financial security to be able to devote all his time to composing.It was staged in 42 opera houses, including at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on 19 January 1929 where it was given under Artur Bodanzky with Florence Easton, Fleischer, Kirchoff, Michael Bohnen and Friedrich Schorr.